Zelos' Little Madam
by FriendlyMushroom
Summary: When Zelos Wilder is tricked by the King of Meltokio into accepting an engagement with Princess Hilda of Meltokio, Regal is convinced by Zelos into helping him find a way to dissolve the imposed marriage. Unfortunately, Zelos' plan to get rid of his marriage promise, involves faking an engagement with certain pink haired girl who wields a very dangerous ax. Zelos/Presea.
1. A Fake Engagement

**Hi people all around the internet, FriendlyMushroom here with my very first Tales of anything story. It's been quite a while since I wrote about anything in English, as you may notice further on, my native language isn't English, and it's actually Spanish. At any rate, this is my first and perhaps only Zelos for Presea story. I don't think it will be that successful considering Tales of Syphonia is an old game and I'm only writing this because I grew inspired after playing the re-make. Also, the couple isn't what could be called normal. But hey, that's what fanfiction is all about, isn't it?**

**But first let me explain my version of why writing a Zelos and Presea story: Ok, first of all, no couple is cannon as far as I know, not even Colette and Lloyd. I mean, if we think about it carefully, the only character who ends hooked up with anyone is Lloyd. Still, I do understand Genis got a Crush on Presea, and Zelos got a crush against about anyone, but goes bonkers for Sheena. I also understand that Sheena in her conversations reflects some feelings toward Lloyd, but well, I believe they are all speculations, the programmers or authors of the tales series did so in such a way to allow everyone to think their own endings.**

**Still, why in hell Zelos and Presea? Well, the answer is simple actually, other than both Zelos and Presea being my favorite characters, I got reasons not to like the other couples, and before anyone wraths at me, this is only my personal opinion. I like Sheena and Zelos, but I like even more Sheena and Lloyd, I also like Lloyd and Colette, but due to the fact of me liking Sheena and Lloyd a little better than Colette and Lloyd, I gave up on Zelos and Sheena. About Presea, I love her character, but I disagree with the two main couples: Genis and Presea and Regal and Presea. Let me begin with Genis and Presea, I totally hate Genis, he is emo, and got this complex of superiority, and every time he speaks to Presea I end up thinking: "Man, this idiot just kisses the ground Presea walks at." In other words, Genis, with all the respect your fans deserve, I don't like you as a character, and I like you far less as Presea's soul mate. That doesn't mean I will be harsh and rude with Genis, he is a character that people like or dislike, but just because I don't like him, it doesn't mean I will just childishly give him a horrible story and be unfair to him, but he definitively won't have Presea in my book. As for Regal, he is a great character in my opinion, so deep, very deep, and with a lot of potential. But when thinking about a potential Regal for Presea story, I can't help but feel this horrible crushing blow in my heart. I mean, Regal loved Presea's sister, and starting a relationship with Presea just feels like Regal looking for a replacement for his lost loved one in her sister. I know Regal deserves some love, but I sincerely would have him paired with Raine than having that horrible sensation of him replacing Alicia with Presea, I prefer his one true love with someone else. Everyone is free to believe what they want, but those are my reasons not to write a Regal for Presea.**

**Now, why Zelos? Well, Zelos is fun, and Presea is something like his total opposite. Zelos is a charming guy with a carefree personality which we all know is a fake since he hides a deep sadness, and Presea is a girl who is all sadness and confusion and who believe she is not supposed to be happy. In theory both complement one another, or at least that's my impression of their possible relationship. There aren't many Presea and Zelos fans out there, but when I met both characters I remember thinking: Man, Zelos and Presea would look ratter cute together. Again, this is only my personal opinion. Some may think like myself, some may not, but I'm sure I'm not the only one to enter fanfiction dot net searching for a Presea and Zelos story and finding only a few, and none actually completed. So yeah, I want to be one of those authors to write a Presea and Zelos story for any fan of the same couple to enjoy. Also, most stories of Presea and Zelos are M, and that's not good for the innocent minds.**

**I don't really expect to receive many reviews to this story. But I would totally love hearing some of your thoughts about it. This first chapter doesn't have too much romance, but I promise we will get there soon. Man this must be the longest summary ever. Anyway, please read, enjoy, and have fun.**

**I don't own Tales of Symphonia.**

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**Zelos' Little Madam.**

**Chapter One: A Fake Engagement.**

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**Meltokio. The Commoner's Quarter.**

"Well? Are you going to speak out? Or did you invite me here only for me to see you getting drunk with cheap wine over a self-acquired burden." Regal Bryant and Zelos Wilder weren't at all what someone would call friends. They weren't strangers either, more like acquaintances that enjoyed one another's company. Such was the reason of why Zelos had insisted in Regal accompanying him toward Meltokio's Commoner's Quarter, and into a bar of low standards when they had just finished attending a dinner party at Meltokio's royal palace as the Chosen of Tethe'alla and Duke Bryant, two of the most wealthy and influential beings all around the merged world.

"Self-acquired is a way to say it. More like I didn't have a choice." Zelos replied to the accusations while facing the red wine inside of his cup. Regal noticed he wasn't even drinking, but pretending he was in favor of gaining an excuse for having a deep conversation. "It is what is expected of me. What was I supposed to do?" He wondered.

"You could have refused." Was Regal's reply. "The Zelos I know wouldn't just accept any kind of proposal in that matter. Much less knowing the kind of responsibility it implies. King of Meltokio? Forgive me for my lack of mannerism, but the only way I would ever see you wearing a crown is if in one of Altima's parades as the head king of clowns." Regal insisted.

"Wow, Regal got a sense of humor after all." Zelos smiled for a moment, but his smile disappeared just as soon as it arrived. "It's kind of hard being a charming young man of 25 years old knowing the only meaning that is left to my life is getting married to the faceless princess of the Meltokio's royal family. Wherever you look at it, Hilda just wants me for the sake of strengthening her ruling with the all mighty Chosen of Tethe'alla by her side. I don't really want to get married ya know. All I ever wanted was a lazy, fun, and easy life-style. And what do I get? A marriage order from the king of Meltokio to have his daughter as my wife. I mean, she is pretty an all, a hottie with very developed attributes, I wouldn't mind spending another night with her but ya know. There is still too much Zelos for all the fine maidens in Meltokio. It would be unfair for them to lose me to a single maiden, even if she is the princess." He joked.

"Another night?" Was the first thought that crossed Regal's mind, but he quickly waved that image away from his head. "Never mind that. Can you please tell me, how did the topic of conversation go from your wish of having a lazy, fun, and simple life-style, to respecting the wishes of all the so called fine maidens of Meltokio?" Regal complained, Zelos just smiled. "That mask of carefreeness and ladies' man attitude of yours may fool anyone. But I know the true Zelos. You were fooled by a well-planned scheme of the King. Princess Hilda's birthday party celebrating her 21 years was a trap to lure you, and you took the bait." Regal complained.

"I declare myself guilty." Was Zelos' reply. "When I saw your name in the list of attendants to the party I thought to myself that it was a safe and harmless party. A few drinks, free food, the opportunity to see fine maidens wearing very revealing clothes." He smirked, Regal just breathed out in annoyance. "Sorry, bad habit. I guess I can't pretend at all in front of you." Regal nodded. "I'm just a tool. Aren't I? Supposedly, I could have any women I desire, but in reality they just want me for being the Chosen, not because of who I truly am. Kind of depressing if I give it some thoughts. Although it also has some advantages. I have been with more girls than anyone in Meltokio." He smirked.

"Zelos." Regal scolded. "I'm trying to help you, but you aren't helping at all into finding a solution." Regal continued. "At the birthday party, the king called for all of the attendant's attentions, and asked you to share their table for an announcement. Didn't you find it suspicious?" He wondered.

"Oh yeah. You know, maybe I should have been suspicious. It was so obvious. After all, everyone knows that inviting a womanizer into the table of the king means the king wishes to offer his daughter to him as a bride." Zelos complained.

"Leave the sarcasm for someone who doesn't care enough about you as to help you." Regal complained again. "The king openly offered his daughter's hand to you in the middle of a room full with nobles. Refusing would have been an insult to the crown, and would have prejudiced your noble status. As I mentioned earlier, you fell directly into his trap." Zelos just made a mockery and nodded. "Yet, it is not too late to decline."

"What excuse would I have to decline?" Zelos wondered. "It's not like I can go to the king and refuse the proposal just like that. He invited powerful families to the party to serve as witnesses after all. The entire world already knows I'm engaged to Princess Hilda." He complained. "The only way to save myself from such destiny is finding a reasonable excuse. But I'm out of clever ideas. I mean, it's not like I could find a hidden wife somewhere to forcefully call off the wedding announcement by the law of the Church of Martel." He joked, but the joke escalated into revelation, when Zelos noticed he had found an answer. "A secret wife!" Zelos smiled.

"Enough… you already drank too much…" Regal complained and took the wine cup away from Zelos, even though Regal knew he wasn't drinking that hard. "It's not going to work, don't even think about it. I'm not helping you with something as ridiculous as finding you a fake wife to escape your marriage promise to Princess Hilda. You need to be an idiot to even consider it. It's ridiculous." Regal scolded.

"It's so ridiculous that no one would ever suspect it is a fake." Zelos mentioned. "The entire world is receiving the news about my engagement to Lady Hilda as we speak. It is only natural for a beautiful maiden who I married out of a teenager's lust, to complain and call me of her property in front of the court. The marriage would be called off, and my reputation would fall to the floor so hard that all my hunnies would have to see me as what I truly am, a lust-full human. True, I will break many hearts, but at the same time I will be cutting ties with the Meltokio royal family for the scheme and I will be able to start over somewhere else. Probably Altamira. Ending my days as a single man surrounded by beautiful gals in swimsuits at a paradise-like beach."

"I can't stand not pointing out all the flaws in your plan, Zelos." Regal sweat dropped. "First of all, both paths lead you into getting married, only to a different woman." Regal pointed out, and Zelos bit his lips nervously. "Second, in favor of this so called plan of yours working, you would need to convince this other woman into signing a marital contract with you only for the documentation, and she would have to pretend, in front of the court, and who knows at what extent, in favor of convincing Lady Hilda about the veracity of your marriage, with the risk of losing her head is she is somehow discovered." He finished.

"Such is the reason of why the selected woman needs to be a close friend who understands the meaning of a fake engagement and knows Zelos for what he truly is, if ya know what I mean." Zelos pointed out. "Also, we don't need to get married by documentation or in front of the eyes of the recently resurrected goddess Martel. An engagement promise would be enough." Zelos pointed out.

"Not for convincing Lady Hilda. A marriage promise would be as frail as breaking your current marriage promise to the Princess of Meltokio." Regal explained, and Zelos lowered his head. "Do you really want this plan to work? Are you for real?" He wondered.

"I'm on my knees, and not necessarily asking you for marriage." Zelos added while kneeling in front of Regal, who breathed out in defeat. "Save me the pain of my knees and the crushing blow to my ego and just help me with this. I don't want to be king of Meltokio. There must be a way, I was unfairly tricked." He complained.

"Fine… I will help you…" Regal mentioned out of defeat, and Zelos couldn't even hide his excitement. "If it is stipulated in a contract, it will be more convincing. And you will have to ask one of our friends for her aid. Who will you chose?" Regal wondered.

"I would say Sheena, but she would definitively stab me in the back as soon as I asked her." Zelos added. "I wouldn't mind at all having her as my bride to fool Princess Hilda. Maybe I would even marry her for real." Regal just faced Zelos with an annoyed look. "Never mind that. Sheena would never agree to this anyway. And bringing Raine to the court even to pretend a fake engagement would lead to discrimination. The racism against elves and half-elves had died down, but not enough to ask her to pretend in front of the court."

"That only leaves Colette and Presea. None of them looking as a suitable candidate." Regal mentioned. "Colette is too clumsy. She would surely ruin it all accidentally. And I don't trust you enough to be neutral around her." Regal finished.

"Am I so untrustworthy? Don't reply." He rushed to say. "So, by simple elimination, the only one left is Presea. Unless you have any objections." Regal just crossed his arms out of annoyance. "Come on. Don't tell me you are taking the whole fatherly figure role into heart. Being totally honest, I thought you were going to try and have her as a replacement for Alicia when you asked her to work at the Lezareno Company." Regal suddenly stood up and began walking away, and Zelos understood he had overdone it this time. "Woah, hey, hey, hey! Don't take me too seriously, bud, you know I am a jokester." Zelos mentioned while placing his arm around Regal's shoulder and walking him back to their table. "I really need your help here. I know I have a very restless tongue, but please, you were the one who said you knew the true Zelos Wilder."

"That doesn't help me to forget about your damn mask." Regal mentioned out of annoyance, but sat down. "Let me get this straight first… I loved Alicia… with all my heart. After her, I still believe there is no one else. Maybe someday I will find someone to take her place in my heart, but that person will definitively not be Presea. Still, I care for Presea deeply, and feel a great responsibility toward her. That's all I have to say about the matter. Do not bring that subject into discussion… ever…" Zelos smiled, and nodded in agreement. "Returning to the current problem at hand, Presea is 15 years old." Regal mentioned.

"Actually, she is 31, but who is counting?" Zelos corrected. "With the body of a 15 years old, and the mind of a 31 years old, she will be mature enough to control the situation, not to mention that she is the perfect candidate." Zelos smirked, Regal just tried to keep his coolness. "Being 15 years old means she isn't in legal age to get married. But if I have a contract with a promise of marriage labeled on it, then for three years until her physiological adulthood arrives, I am free to do as I please. Lady Hilda won't wait for me for three years to see the marriage consummating. She will choose someone else, and Presea and I will call the marriage off. I will return to be a single man, and Presea will return to her life of wood chopping and impersonating characters in your fun fair until she marries… I don't know… Genis?" Zelos wondered.

"Presea doesn't seem to understand yet that our little half-elf friend got a crush on her." Regal mentioned. "I don't know… this plan still sounds so frail and stupid. Many things could go wrong. I don't even know why I am agreeing to do this." Regal sentenced.

"Because I am a friend in need…" Was Zelos' reply. "I don't trust anyone, Regal. But I'm desperate. When my mask falls this is what you find… a despicable and desperate man, seeking for despicable and desperate solutions to despicable and desperate problems. If I lose my freedom to this engagement to the Meltokio's royal family… I'm done for… life would have lost all meaning to me…" He finished.

Regal didn't want to agree. This was wrong in every way. But Zelos was truly out of his mind. His eyes reflected no carefreeness this time. They reflected depression, as Regal had never seen before. In the end, he ended agreeing with Zelos' idiotic plan.

"Somehow, the journey of world regeneration sounds a lot simpler than this complex plan of yours. Don't blame me if you end with your skull chomped in half by Presea's ax." Regal mentioned, and Zelos delivered a pleasant smile to him. "I will write a contract, and I will leave to Ozette with your signature on it. You will have to play along as Hilda's fiancé until Presea arrives. That is if Presea wants to help you at all, it will be her choice, not mine."

"I wouldn't have it any other way my friend." Zelos added with enthusiasm, while Regal opened a briefcase and took paper and pen out, writing the contract already. "Do I have to worry about the small lines?" Zelos wondered while looking at Regal's handwriting.

"I would worry more about what I could do to you if I find out you did something indecent to Presea." Regal added coldly while placing almost all of his attention to the contract, which slowly began taking form, much to Zelos' surprise.

"I would be more worried about myself. You really think Presea would allow me to do anything to her?" Zelos sweated hard. Regal suddenly delivered the contract to Zelos, surprising him a lot. "I can't believe you just finished the contract."

"I want you to read it very carefully." Regal insisted, and Zelos grew a little worried, but began reading it. "I will help you of course, but under my own terms. And I assure you that the Lezareno Company won't flinch if it means stripping you of every gald in retribution for any insult to one of my employees. After all, Presea works for me." Regal smiled.

"That's cheap." Zelos complained while reading. "The fiancé is obliged by the signing of this contract to deliver financial support and commodities to the subject known as his bride for the duration of the contract, without the benefit of abusing of her in any way during the duration of the period of time in which the marriage isn't consummated. It is considered a violation to this term any physical approach that may be considered as socially inappropriate when without the consentient of both parts." He finished reading. "Don't you want to put chains all around me to make sure I don't touch Presea in any indecent way?" He complained.

"You live with her, and you don't touch her. That's what it says in case you hadn't noticed." Regal mentioned while crossing his arms. "Forgive me if I fear for your womanizer reputation. Mask or not, between the lies of a fake characterization, the truth almost always surfaces. One can't have such a well-placed mask without having a hint of truth defining your fake character." He concluded, and Zelos breathed out in disbelief.

"I'm not going to touch her. I respect her enough not to even try. And I fear her a lot more than I fear Sheena, so even if I did, it would be suicide." Zelos continued reading. "Both parts can, in mutual agreement, call off the marriage promise if in the presence of a legal authority figure to serve as avail for the nullification of this contract. However, if one of the parts refuses to dissolve the marital compromise contract, the contract shall not be dissolved unless a third party takes into judgment the reasons for the dissolution. If the court agrees with the need of an invalidation, the contract will be considered nullified, and both parts will be officially released of any responsibilities involved in the mentioned contract." Zelos then blinked twice at what he just read. "Wait… so Presea can't call the marriage off even if she wants to as long as I don't agree?" Zelos wondered.

"That's basically what it means." Regal replied. "I'm not sure if Presea will be able to tolerate having you as her fiancé, even in a fake engagement. So, it is a safety clause to make sure the contract isn't dissolved before time. And of course, it serves the other way around. You call it off for any reason, and Presea is in the right of refusing your nullification. If needed be, there will be a judge to interview both subjects for the reason of the nullification of the contract."

"Not to sound ungrateful for your help but. Why would I have to agree with such ridiculous clause?" Zelos wondered. "I mean, Presea isn't exactly the cutest girl in the world. And the contract as it is written right now forcibly ties me to her if she falls in love with the all charming and great Zelos Wilder. I can't help but be scared of this clause." He sentenced.

"You are being ruder than you have to be, and you are ticking me off." Regal glared at him with annoyance. "That clause isn't for Presea's benefit you fool. It is to protect you from Hilda. Let's say Presea arrives with this contract. For Hilda it would be as simple as ordering you to call the marriage off. But if Presea refuses to call it off, you would be, 'forced', to convey." Regal explained.

"And that's what happens when someone asks for Regal's help. He leaves nothing to speculations and goes directly to the point." Zelos continued reading, and Regal barely looked at him, sort of disgusted about what he was doing right now. "Everything seems to be too meticulously planned. Sounds legal enough to me. However, I'm still wondering about what Presea's reaction will be. Unfortunately, I don't know many other girls who would be willing to do this. I guess I'm in Presea's debt." He smiled.

"If Presea is willing to do this for you, which I doubt." Regal mentioned while taking another couple of sheets of paper and re-writing the contracts once again in favor of having copies of it. "Raine, Colette and Sheena are at legal age for marriage. Only Presea isn't, so basically, she is the only one who can help you with this. I will write three copies. One for you, one for Presea, and one for me to keep safe. If the three copies are destroyed somehow, you know the marriage is off, so make sure you take good care of your contract when I deliver the one with Presea's signature to you." Regal finished, and placed the three contracts in front of Zelos.

"You are way better with your hands than your feet. Though I don't think you can write a contract with your feet." Zelos faced the contract, and accepted the pen Regal delivered to him. He read the contracts over and over again, not knowing what to do. Regal noticed, and opened his mouth as to speak when Zelos interrupted him first. "A part of me tells me I shouldn't be doing this at all. Not without discussing it with Presea personally. I'm sure she will get mad." He confessed while reading again.

"It's not like we have much of a choice. It is either accepting a fake engagement, or going directly to the king and calling the marriage off yourself. But if you do that, all the nobles will erupt against you and force you to keep your gentleman's word." Zelos nodded in agreement and sadness at such idea. "I will speak to Presea, but you will have to thank her yourself, as you must. You have no idea about the kind of burden you will be placing on her shoulders. She is a woodcutter, not to mention she got no knowledge of social life at all. You are something like her total opposite. And as long as Lady Hilda doesn't marry anyone else, I'm afraid you two will have to continue with the ruse. At the very least we are only giving you three years of safety. If Hilda waits that long… well… let's say you will end married anyway. Either to Hilda or Presea. But of course we both don't want the later, do we?" He wondered.

"Hey, Presea is a cutie too. Maybe not my taste of cutie, but still a cutie." Zelos finished. "Besides, she would never allow me to get my hopes too high, would she?" And with that last comment, Zelos signed the three contracts. "Now, I don't usually say this, but heck, I must be drunk or something. So I suppose I owe it to you somehow. Thank you." Zelos finished, and Regal widened his eyes at that last. "What? Is it so weird for me to thank anyone?" He wondered.

"It is weird of you to actually do it with sincerity." Was Regal's reply. "I'm leaving now. The road to Ozette without a Rheairds is ratter difficult. I estimate a month until you know if Presea agrees or not with this plan of yours. I will send her reply either way. During the meantime, you keep your act as Princess Hilda's fiancé. And Zelos… good luck." With no more left to say, Regal left the bar.

**Gaoracchia Forest. 2 Weeks Later.**

The sound of a giant tree falling down in the middle of a forest may sound like some kind of riddle, but it was common knowledge for Presea Combatir as she was responsible for the fall of such healthy and strong tree. Being a woodcutter's daughter, she learned to respect the trees she cut down, and to choose only those whose life spam was near its ending. Such was the reason of Presea having to leave Ozette in long hiking trips around Gaoracchia Forest in search of the correct trees, since she knew cutting the young ones was an abomination that would end with the sooner death of a beautiful forest.

Many wouldn't share her idealism of forest preservation, but no one could deny the ability of the in appearance 15 years old girl to chomp down the best trees with the best of wood, an art only she seemed to understand correctly. After bringing down a tree, her heaviest job followed, and that was cutting the giant trunk into small pieces in favor of transporting them all back to Ozette by pulling her wagon, which oddly enough she would pull herself with no horse or beast of any sort pulling for her. This was the way Presea was raised after all, to be stronger than the average girls.

Her long gone father used to take her and her sister Alicia into woodcutting trips. Presea learned fast, and built some muscles by wielding the ax. Her sister Alicia was a little more delicate, to the point of leaving for the Lezareno Company looking for work. Presea in the other hand, was engulfed entirely into the wood cutting life, even knowing the consequences of hard work at such young age would end with her losing some of her feminine features. Her hair was always messy and smelling to dirt, her arms and legs were buffed, she grew short, probably for feeding herself wrongly, and her chest never grew up much. She wasn't at all a nice catch for any male, and she never thought about such things anyway. However, she couldn't help it but feel lonely sometimes, even if she didn't like to admit it.

The truth was that Presea preferred to remain in seclusion. She was a 31 years old woman trapped inside the body of a 15 years old. Her hormones clashed with her adult mind continuously, resulting in a better understanding of her situation. It was like the realization of a dying soldier in a war, knowing he was going to die due to the fatality of his wounds regardless of what he did to save his own life. Presea was an adult in the body of a teenager. She was currently in the physical age in which she was supposed to find boys attractive. She knew she was attractive to some boys around Ozette as well. But her definition of what was attractive, was different. She grew tired of trying to explain it to Genis already. After all, how was anyone supposed to understand a 15 years old girl finding men around their 30 being more attractive and mature than the boys her age? She still had some childish traits, as her obsession with paw pads, usually trying to befriend a kitty in a city only to poke the cat's soles. But her maturity couldn't be denied. She finally understood the concept: 'an adult in shape a child in heart', only her situation was reversed to: 'a child in shape an adult in heart.' The more she thought about it, the more concerned she was.

After her last trip to restore the equilibrium in the flow of mana around the merged world, she came into a conclusion. If time was stolen away from her, she would steal herself away from time as well, and return to society once her body and mind had arrived into a mutual understanding. Sure, she would still be 16 years younger in body than she was in mind, but she would be better prepared to deal with such consequences.

Her wood cutting continued for a while longer in silence. As long as she concentrated only in the swings of her ax against the wood, life still seemed to have a meaning. Her meaning was using her young body's energy to help rebuilt Ozette, or so she kept telling herself. Regardless of the reconstruction of Ozette, the feeling of emptiness wouldn't go away. If Presea could see herself, she would have noticed then emotionless expression of her face, almost equal to her doll-state from three years ago. Fortunately, she couldn't see herself.

"Presea." She suddenly heard, and returned back to reality, quitting her ax swinging and facing her back where an old dwarf was sweating hard and breathing out heavily. "For the love of Martel. Do you always have to travel so deep into the forest for your wood cutting?" He wondered.

"Yes." Was her cold reply, and Altessa, the tired dwarf, just faced her in disbelief. "I apologize for the bothers my trip into the forest had forced into you. But I don't recall asking for the company. Is there something of significant importance for you to travel all your way here, putting in risk your health, only to win my attention?"

"A simple: 'what are you doing here?', is enough." Altessa added out of annoyance, but couldn't blame the girl after all the pain he had forced her to undergo by experimenting on her with the cruxis technology. "I am not too sure about what is going on. But Regal visited, he was searching for you." Altessa continued.

"I do not remember having my vacations arriving to their end. Could it be a social meeting?" She wondered, finding it odd for Regal to come all the way from Altamira only to see her. "For what purpose is he visiting? If I may know." She asked.

"You really don't have to be too complex when speaking. A simple: 'what does he wants?' would be enough." Altessa had tried to help her into choosing her words correctly countless of times, but for some reason, Presea just couldn't forget about her cold replying style. She was no longer the cold hearted girl she used to be, but some behaviors couldn't be forgotten easily. "I wouldn't have rushed all the way here at my age if it wasn't something important. Regal didn't give me too many details, but the little he did tell me had something to do with Master Zelos asking for your hand in marriage." Presea was in the middle of a swing of her ax when that last was said, and due to the surprise, she lost the grip of her giant ax and it ended flying toward a random three and getting stuck there. "I had a similar reaction, yes." Altessa mentioned.

"I don't understand." Was Presea's reply. "Zelos' flirting personality had never affected me in the less. But this revelation somehow managed to force me to lose the grip of my ax." Presea mentioned while getting her ax out of the innocent tree she had wounded. "But even if I heard correctly what you just said, I am in denial of such information being correctly delivered. I shall head back to Ozette and make sure I receive the proper message from Regal, and finding out in the meantime why would Zelos put a prank as such toward me." She mentioned.

"Isn't it simpler to say: 'I don't believe you, so I will go back and hear it directly from Regal'?" Altessa tried once again, and Presea just grabbed her ax and began walking back. "Aren't you taking the wagon with you?" He wondered while following her.

"Traveling with the weight of the wagon would slow me down. And for once, I don't feel like taking the time to allow my adult mind to find its own conclusions in spite of the hormonal reaction of my body when hearing such information." She mentioned.

"That's just another way of saying: 'I'm really curious and I don't want to be slowed down.' I believe." Presea ignored Altessa and speeded up her walking, leaving the dwarf on his own. "I will just… help with the wood cutting. I'm not staying behind because I'm tired or anything." He mentioned, and Presea nodded silently and continued her way.

"Zelos asking for my hand in marriage? Why would he do such a thing?" Presea spoke to herself without even noticing. "Besides… he could ask about it personally… why sending Regal?" Due to the confusion, she failed to notice she was getting mad. Presea never thought about Zelos in any romantic way, she never thought about anyone in a romantic way. Her 15 years old body, however, seemed to have reacted at such revelation, when she lost the grip in her ax she did after feeling her heart freezing at such comment, not because she thought about Zelos in any special way, but because she never thought of herself as worthy of such admiration.

After arriving to Ozette, she immediately headed to her house, not even waving her hand to the townspeople of the in the middle in reconstruction Ozette. Instead, she speeded her pace, desperately falling victim of her own curiosity and wanting to know the true message from Regal's own lips. She made a quick reverence in front of her father's grave, and entered her house. Regal was there, sitting by a wooden made coach, which wasn't at all comfortable, but was everything Presea could craft.

"I'm sorry for interrupting your vacations." Regal mentioned, and Presea made a reverence toward him. "So, I suppose Altessa delivered the message. But to be in the safe side. What did he say?" Regal wondered.

"His exact words were: 'I wouldn't have rushed all the way here at my age if it wasn't something important. Regal didn't give me too many details, but the little he did tell me had something to do with Master Zelos asking for your hand in marriage.' End of quote." She finished.

"Your memorizing skills never cease to amaze me." Regal replied. "It may sound odd coming from me, considering this is your house but. Please, take a sit." Regal offered, and Presea sat down without a second thought. "Presea. Do you trust me?" Regal asked.

"I don't despise you anymore if that's what you are trying to say." She replied, and Regal smiled a little. He then faced every direction, and when making sure that no one was close to overhear their conversation, he was about to speak out when Presea spoke out first. "It's sort of underwhelming… this feeling… I can't help it but feel a little concerned about it. What am I to think of Zelos' proposal? Is it a proposal to begin with?" She wondered.

"Underwhelming?" Regal wondered, and Presea nodded in agreement. "I see… your need for attention runs that deep…" Regal whispered to himself, but Presea managed to hear him. "I'm afraid it is nothing to be underwhelmed about. You could think of it as a pleading of help from Zelos, and you being the only one who can actually be of aid to him at this very moment. I will tell you everything I know, please try not to react in any aggressive manner." He begged.

"I promise. So even if I get mad, the less I can do is not show it." She accepted, and Regal began with the explanation. After a while, Presea was left in deep thoughts, and unable to react about everything she had just heard. She opened her mouth a few times in order to ask something, but every time she did she ended with her mind in blank and unable to say a thing. "…" Her silence followed, and Regal grew concerned about it.

"The reason I asked Altessa to deliver the message as he did was in favor of keeping the knowledge of it being a fake engagement a secret… if words of it spread, it could be troublesome." Regal admitted, and Presea nodded in agreement but remained in silence. "Is something the matter?" He asked.

"Only a faint feeling of disappointment which I can't quite understand yet." Presea admitted, and Regal was surprised to hear that last. "For once I thought I was the subject of admiration of someone other than Genis. The thought confused me, but now I can assimilate the information with acceptance. Zelos did get himself involved in a delicate matter after all. It is only natural he would try to find an escape route to his self-acquired burden." She finished.

"You do sound disappointed." Was Regal's reply, and Presea gave it little importance while taking the contract in her hands and reading it carefully. "I'm sorry for dragging you into this. It's only I didn't feel like leaving a friend in need." He admitted, and Presea nodded. "Also… I had a very faint hope about this fake engagement teaching you a little about how to behave in society correctly. Perhaps open your mind into new possibilities. I thought it could be helpful." He confessed.

"I'm no stranger to the kind of society Meltokio moves around." Presea mentioned. "Though I admit this knowledge doesn't serve me in the practice. I am yet to have some womanly experiences to define my true character. The years that were ripped away from me may never come back, but investing the ones I have left in this charade seems sort of desirable. Moving in the circle of high society, surrounded by more mature minds, it would be an escape to the world of teenagers that seems to be surrounding me all the time. A world I will never belong to." Presea admitted, though Regal knew she was more immersed in her own thoughts than actually speaking to him.

"Maybe I need to change the course of this conversation a little." Regal mentioned, and won Presea's attention. "I am curious. Zelos keeps on saying that you are a 31 years old trapped inside of the body of a 15 years old. Not that I totally agree but I can't disagree either. Do you mind if I make some questions only to ease both of our minds in the matter?" Presea nodded in agreement. "Forgive me in advantage if my comments aren't at all respectful but. What do you think about Zelos?" He wondered.

"He is a strange man, with a strange behavior against the female gender. A rather interesting individual." Was her reply, and Regal rubbed his chin. "I do not harbor any kind of feelings toward him as a male. Yet I cannot hide my initial surprise and subsequent anxiety when hearing about this so called proposal." She finished.

"Then… is there a male you actually harbor feelings for?" Presea's reply was a negation, she didn't even flinch at the question, she replied immediately, sure of herself. "Not even Genis? It is no secret to anyone that he does harbor feelings for you." He insisted.

"At the beginning, I didn't understand his approaches." She admitted. "Now that I do, I find them childish, immature. I can't return feelings toward someone I only see as a child. Being honest, even if I could, my maturity would end hurting him." She admitted.

"I doubt it. But it isn't me who is Genis' subject of adoration." Regal replied. "However, that makes things a lot simpler. Zelos harbors no feelings for you, and you don't have any for him. But Zelos needs you to avoid a marriage to the Princess of Meltokio, and you also get something from all this in return. It is your first experience in a relationship with a male, and you are allowed to fail, just as you are allowed to learn." Presea gave the information some thoughts, a fake relationship was way better than none, not to mention it was an opportunity to feel her current age. Zelos was 25, biologically 10 years older than her, mentally only 6 years younger. "Still, it is your choice. I wouldn't want to force anything to you."

"I will do it." She replied, surprising Regal. "The terms of this contract are agreeable at the very least. And there is much I could learn from being part of this relationship. Zelos' experience with the female gender might as well prove to be valuable information for when I am needed to behave in society." She then signed the papers.

"I don't think Zelos' knowledge about the subject will be of your liking." Regal mentioned, a little worried. "I know you can take care of yourself. But if you ever find yourself in any kind of need, don't hesitate and try contacting me. I will make sure Zelos keeps his hands as away from you as possible." Presea then nodded in agreement. "Well, I suppose you need some time to get yourself ready for the trip toward Meltokio. I can ready a carriage for you to…" He began, but Presea was already tying a rag with a spare change of clothes to her ax and leaving the house. "Presea?" Regal wondered.

"The sooner I get there, the sooner I will learn." She mentioned, and Regal was impressed. "Besides… I owe Zelos a beating… somehow, I can't shake off this feeling of disappointment. Worry not, I will be careful." She finished, and began her journey toward Meltokio.

"I'm not quite sure that Presea understands how she is supposed to behave under these circumstances." Regal sweat dropped, but did nothing to stop Presea, only stare at the girl as she walked on top of Ozette's tree roots with her giant ax resting against her shoulder, and a fierce stare in her eyes. "Well, she will definitively shake Meltokio's life style. I really hope she will be ok. Am I doing the right thing… Alicia?" Regal wondered, and faced the sky as if knowing Alicia was looking at him from heaven.


	2. Moving Together

**It took me a little longer to update, sorry for the delay. At any rate, I appreciate the reviews! Thanks a lot, sincerely, I had my doubts. Thes is some kind of personal rule of myself: if a chapter got three reviews, then it is a well written chapter, if not, then it was a boring one T_T. So, I got my three reviews and I'm happy, I hope this chapter is of your liking as well. Thanks for reading.**

**Now, there is something I always do whenever I write a story, and that is replying in public o the reviewers:**

**DAve and Bob: Haha, no my friend, hell isn't frozen. I always liked the couple, primarily because I dislike Genis and because Regal had Alicia, I think I explained this before. The detail you are pointing out is one I can't quite understand. My first language is Spanish, and so, every new paragraph always starts with a dialogue. I have never read a book in English so I'm not sure about the rules, but I will try to fix the style little by little. Thaks for your review.**

**Guest: The interactions between Zelos and Presea are going to be a little Awkward. Especially if we place Presea, the serious and monotone girl, beside Zelos, the flirtarous jerk, I guess we are going to hear some laughs.**

**Dead Pann: Yeah, I'm pretty sure that is going to happen often, but Presea will have something to say in the matter, you will see. Oh, someone is going to be dragged by the hair, but I doubt it will be Zelos, not in this chapter at least. Princess Hilda will have a significant role. I imagine her as a jealous princess Peach for some reason I can't quite understand. Oh and I corrected what you mentioned, thank you very much.**

* * *

**Zelos' Little Madam.**

**Chapter Two: Moving Together.**

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**Meltokio. The Upper District.**

"I'm sure this will look good on you. White clothing will surely help your beautiful red hair to stand out! Not that it doesn't stand out already, but I want everyone in Meltokio to see your shinning red hair and knowing it is Zelos Wielder who I'm getting married too!" Princess Hilda's engagement declaration took place almost a month ago. And ever since, Zelos was forced to follow her everywhere in favor of separating the preparations for the royal wedding, which was something the whole city was aiming to see. "Let's go take your measures! I will take them myself!" Hilda continued cheerfully, and while pushing Zelos inside of a shop at the Upper District, followed by some of Meltokio's knights, and a multitude of fine ladies fascinated with all of the weddings selections of clothing and diversions.

"I'm sure you are all hipped and heels over me, sweetheart. But aren't we perhaps going too fast? I had ratter enjoy the engagement life for a while longer." Zelos tried to say while carrying some boxes with Princess Hilda's shopping. Her guards even had theirs arms full carrying the shopping as well. "I don't think I need a suit… much less one this expensive. I wouldn't want some pumpkin attacking me before I'm… forcibly… delivered to you at the altar before the eyes of the goddess Martel. I'm fine with my usual clothing." Zelos insisted.

"You are my groom, and soon to be King of Meltokio. You need to look handsomer than ever. I want every girl in Meltokio envying me." She giggled, and Zelos, despite liking the sound of Princess Hilda's laughter, couldn't shake the feeling of Meltokio's King's shadow now resting at his shoulders as a cape. Princess Hilda then pushed him toward the tailor, and asked her if she could take Zeols' measures herself. Not that anyone could negate the Princess' wishes anyway. "Now, stand still. I know your armpits tickle. I know all of your tickling places." She whispered, and Zelos flinched.

"And I still remember yours, but I don't want your knights overhearing this." Zelos added with a worried tone of voice. "Honey, I really need to advise you to take this slowly. There is no need to rush the wedding. We have all our lifetimes to plan it. I would like to enjoy some extramarital loving with you." He lied.

"Ow, you already enjoyed me more than enough." Princess Hilda mentioned while taking Zelos' measures from between his legs, forcing Zelos to gulp and blush in embarrassment. "And I'm not going to allow you to flirt with anyone else. I want you for myself, and the faster it happens, the better. Don't you want me only for yourself too?" She asked, and a drop of sweat fell from his forehead.

"It is a tempting asseveration I admit." He didn't lie back there, but Zelos was truly a lady's men. The word engagement didn't fit in his dictionary. He was more of the kind to have one-night encounters and then run away. "Seriously… what is taking Presea so long?" He whispered once Hilda kneeled down to take the measures around Zelos' knees, but once he was face to face with her, and staring at her beautiful face, Zelos almost felt the desire of accepting the engagement. "Can't I have the girl but not the royal responsibilities?" He wondered.

"I'm afraid the responsibilities come with the package." Hilda added, and kissed Zelos softly, igniting the urges he had on just accepting it all, but his common sense butted in and yelled to him to be strong. "We will be taking that suit. When will it be ready?" Princess Hilda asked, and when hearing the suit would be finished tomorrow morning, Zelos knew the day of his forced engagement was closer than ever.

"There is no rush at all my fine lady." Zelos interrupted while facing the tailor. "I want to look presentable and handsome the day I get married. Take your time… please… as in I'm begging you…" He whispered the last part, but when Hilda took his hand, Zelos forced himself to smile at her. "Haha, I guess the wedding is now closer than ever. Lucky us!" Zelos added with fake enthusiasm.

"We really are." Hilda added with a blush on her face and while taking Zelos' boxes of shopping away from his arms and placing them on top of the already busy arms of one of her knights, who began falling down elsewhere. "It's so dreamy… I will finally have you just for myself… I can't wait!" She insisted.

"The more fun you are having, the deeper the wound of my heart." Zelos whispered while covering his face with a hand and while Hilda giggled and walked him around Meltokio. "I know you are having fun babe. But I'm fearing you are maybe placing too much enthusiasm into this engagement… scary kind of enthusiasm." He finally admitted.

"That's because I'm not allowing you to back off in your world, honey." Hilda explained, and her jealously-filled intentions were finally evident. "You promised in front of the whole court. If you backed off on your word, it would surely be a disgrace, don't you think? Other noble houses would complain. Do I have to worry about this?" She asked, and Zelos gulped. "I know my father didn't leave you much of an option when he offered my hand to you but. Is there something you want to tell me?" She added with concern.

"Ah ha ha! Something I want to say?" He sweated hard. "Only that I am more than pleased to have such a beautiful and fine maiden as my bride! Of course there isn't anything else bothering me!" He lied, and Hilda smiled and hugged him hard. "Even if I tell the truth I would have all noble houses after my head after all…" Zelos whispered to himself.

"Zelos… I really love you…" Hilda mentioned, and kissed him in front of the multitude. The townspeople clapped their hands in awe, some ladies cried feeling envious of Princess Hilda, and a few lost their breathes, not necessarily because of the kiss, but because of certain pink haired girl carrying a very dangerous ax, and all covered in dirt because of her walking trip from Ozette to Meltokio.

"I seem to have arrived in the very moment I was needed the most." Presea spoke to herself, and cleaned some sweat away from her face. She was the center of all attention. Young ladies were looking at her in disgust, and the fine gentleman began making fun of her. Presea of course managed to ignore them all and placed all her attention at Princess Hilda hugging Zelos in the middle of the street. None of them had realized Presea's presence at all, so Presea kept observing in silence, waiting. Trying to understand some feelings of disapproval warming her heart while seeing Princess Hilda being this close to Zelos. "I shall commence the ruse… this observation is becoming annoying… proceeding seems like the best course of action." She finished, closed her eyes, and slammed her giant ax by the pavement streets of Meltokio's Upper District, scaring the hell out of everyone, and finally winning both Princess Hilda's and Zelos' attention, who turned around to see Presea with the giant ax buried there around the shattered bricks of the road.

"In the name of Martel, what is going on?" Princess Hilda asked in fear, and Zelos felt his jaw dropping when seeing what Presea just did. "Wait… that's… Presea? The girl who used to bring the Sacred Wood from Ozzette?" Princess Hilda added with enthusiasm.

"Great way of winning attention… Presea… breaking havoc in the middle of the Upper District and all…" Zelos spoke to himself while covering his face with a hand. "I will handle this. Yo! Presea! Long time no see!" Zelos added with enthusiasm. "But seriously girl… couldn't you arrive in a less noisy way so we could discuss a plan?" He whispered once he was close enough to her. And Presea opened her eyes and delivered a fierce stare toward Zelos. "Wait… you aren't going to do what I think you are going to do… right? Rosebud?" He wondered.

"Credibility must be achieved for this plan to work." Was Presea's reply, and Zelos smiled oddly at her and began sweating hard. "And it is also a public way to express my displeasure with this idea of yours… and your constant womanizing acts… using the female gender to please your selfish needs… minding not about the sentiments of those foolish enough to fall for your charms… and an open declaration of proclaiming myself immune to such approaches…" And Zelos made a mockery at her.

"I'm not sure what hurts the most, Rosebud." Zelos whispered. "Your words, or the knowledge of you being about to hurt me badly…" Zelos grew worried, and Presea cracked her knuckles and crossed both hands into fists while looking at Zelos fiercely. "Not the face!" He yelled, and Presea kicked his ankle, forcing him to complain and fall to her height.

"Specially the face." She sentenced once she had him to her height, and slammed her fist hard at his left eye. Knocking him down, and forcing Zelos to hold his wounded black eye and face Presea from the floor as the Pink haired girl slammed her foot at his chest and pressed him down. "Consider yourself excused for the insult of your message from Regal." She finished.

"Remind me never to step on your angry side." Zelos whispered, and Presea pressed his chest down once again. "Ouch! Man you are surely a girl with attitude. It scares me how that makes you more attractive somehow. Ouch!" He complained when Presea stood at his chest with both feet. "I yield! I yield! I yield! You are taking the public humiliation too far!"

"Wha-wha-wha-what is the meaning of this?" Princess Hilda asked and faced the defeated Zelos by the floor, and then at Presea, but then the princess flinched when seeing Presea's annoyed and deadly glare. "What are you doing to my groom?" Hilda asked.

"He isn't your groom." Presea mentioned while facing Princess Hilda directly. "By contract, he is of my property." Presea insisted, walked off of Zelos' chest allowing him to breathe again, and placed her hand inside of her pocket. Princess Hilda's guards shielded the princess of Meltokio and pointed their lances at her, but Presea took a contract from out of her pocket and showed it to Princess Hilda. "Zelos belongs to me. So I advise you to back off before I take legal actions against your insult to our promise." Presea finished.

"Presea… you are such a horrible actress." Zelos complained while standing up weakly. "Rosebud! I can totally explain it!" And Presea faced Zelos with her deadly stare, and Zelos flinched. "Your death-glare in the other hand is truly scary."

"What is this?" Princess Hilda asked while behind of her many guards and reading the contract. "Zelos… is this…? A marriage contract?" Princess Hilda complained while reading. "This… this is your signature! I would recognize your signature anywhere! How do you explain this?" She asked, and Zelos sweated hard at Hilda's rage.

"About that… well, you see… it is a funny story that… we didn't get the chance to discuss…" Zelos whispered to Presea, who faced away in annoyance, apparently real annoyance, there was no way Zelos could tell. "You are scaring me, ya know?" He whispered.

"The news of the engagement of Princess Hilda and Zelos Wilder spread around the land. And when the news reached my ears, I couldn't stay arms crossed." Presea added and snatched the contract away from Hilda's hands, and placed it back inside of her pocket. "Zelos Wilder is my groom. And not even the Princess of Meltokio will take him away from me… he got a responsibility toward me. Our contract is as official as a true marriage registration form. Your engagement is disregarded."

"What do you mean? He is promised to me!" Princess Hilda added with annoyance. "Ze-Ze-Zelos and I love one another dearly! But then… that contract… Zelos! I want an explanation immediately!" Princess Hilda yelled.

"Come on sweetheart." And Presea faced Zelos in annoyance. "Eh… Rosebud…" And Hilda bit her lips hard and grunted. "Time out!" Zelos finally snapped out, and both Presea and Princess Hilda faced him with curiosity. "This is no place for this discussion. We look like a group of buffoons placing a scene here in the middle of the street. I suggest we leave for a more private location so we can do the proper explanations. Presea… no more punching and kicking please… and Hilda… please, ask your royal guard to take their lances away from Presea's neck." Presea then nodded, walked past Zelos, and took her ax up, scaring the hell out of everyone for how heavy it was and how easily Presea lifted it. "That hurt me a lot, you know?" Zelos complained.

"Of course it hurts…" Presea added while resting her ax at her shoulder. "I was mad. My observation was disgusting." Presea finished, and she walked away, leaving a confused and hurt Zelos behind.

**Meltokio's Royal Castle.**

Despite Princess' Hilda displeasure, Presea was allowed inside of the royal palace for her to have something to eat alongside Zelos, who had been living inside the royal palace since his engagement was announced, probably for the princess to keep an eye on him and prevent any more womanizing from him. The princess was also there at the table with them, and so was the king, who faced Zelos with curiosity while the groom found himself with each bride at each side, and with a great number of guards surrounding the whole table.

"What term would you like your meat, Master Zelos?" Princess' Hilda butler asked, and Zelos faced him while covering his left eye and delivering an emotionless stare toward him, forcing the butler to sweat at the view. "Raw meat will be…" The butler excused himself and walked away, allowing the meeting to begin.

"So…" The king began after cleaning his throat, and the trio's stare was directed at him, who sweated hard at the view. "Ahem… I have read this contract a couple of times already. It is indeed a marriage contract. And the Lezareno Corp seems to be involved in a way I can't quite understand but… if this contract existed… why didn't you said so sooner? The king asked.

"Can I be blamed, my king?" Zelos smiled, and the butler arrived with a piece of raw meat, which Zelos placed on top of his black eye. "Ow… ow… I mean. Surrounded by the members of the nobility of Meltokio, and with the king offering his daughter's hand in marriage to me. Bringing the contract into light would place me in a very uncomfortable situation, not to mention it would be as spiting at the offering you so kindly made for me." Zelos explained, and the king seemed to buy the explanation.

"Perhaps my methods were a little… straight forward…" The King excused himself. "But you didn't say anything afterwards. I find it curious that you were going to continue with this engagement knowing you were already engaged." The King added.

"I tried to explain it to the princess… but she dragged me all around the city buying stuff." Zelos added, and Princess Hilda coughed a little. "And when she bought her wedding dress… well… it was really uncomfortable…" Zelos explained.

"Umm…" The king began brushing his beard. He had a look of serenity in his face. "I must admit that if finding myself in the same circumstances. I would have probably done the same." And Princess Hilda slammed her hands hard at the table.

"I don't believe you, father!" Princess Hilda finally lost her temper. "It is obvious this girl made out the contract, got Zelos' signature somehow, and threatened him to obey and say all this things. They don't even look in love at all!" She complained, and Presea gave it some thoughts, stood up, and grabbed Zelos' cheeks, forcing Zelos to flinch as Presea got closer to his lips. "Absolutely not!" Princess Hilda yelled and pulled Zelos away from Presea.

"Rosebud…" Zelos cried as if wanting to taste Presea's lips, but then remembered Princess Hilda, and cleared his throat. "I mean… I understand the horrible predicament I have placed upon the royal family. I do not deserve to be the subject of the princess' admiration. I was a young man in love. I was 19 years old and naive when I declared my love for Presea. You know what they say, fine king, true romance is found before reaching the two decades." Zelos mentioned while mentioning the old Tethe'allian saying, and the king nodded in agreement.

"I'm afraid your numbers aren't that right, honey…" Princess Hilda mentioned. "Maybe you were first in your math class at the Imperial Research Academy at Sybak. But you are an awful liar. If you were 19 years old, that would make Presea…"

"Ten years old…" Presea added coldly, and the king spit his wine out, and Zelos noticed his mistake. "Indeed what you are mentioning may much likely be something that is considered sociably unacceptable. But even the greatest literature minds have agreed in various different manuscripts that there is no age to be in love. I was a child… easily fooled by the charms of a last year high school student about to graduate. Now that I'm older I do understand I fell for the charms of a pervert who took advantage of a young and helpless little girl, making me sign a marriage contract. Promising to return for me once he had finished his duties as the Chosen One and regenerating the world. We met several times afterwards. And while growing up I came to realize he wasn't a bad person… probable ill-minded, a pervert, a womanizer… but after traveling with him for so long… I couldn't help but notice his maturity… the way he always thought about things no other did. Even the smarter members of our group were amazed… I admit I was one of them… I couldn't help the feeling of wanting to know him more from flourishing inside of my chest… but I was a depressed little girl… trying to find her place in the world. We took different ways… I returned to my loneliness… and now here I am… doing this for him… the only thought confuses me…" Presea finished, and then noticed what was going on, and faced the puzzled expressions of both Zelos and Hilda. "End of explanation…" Presea finished.

"First time ever I'm left speechless…" Zelos mentioned while facing Presea. "Re-returning to the subject at hand. It is true, I took advantage of the cute little girl who clanged to my leg and shared her lunch box with me…" And Presea delivered an annoyed stare to Zelos, and he sweated hard. "She was a cutey, I wonder what happened to her…" And Presea kept her emotionless stare. "At any rate. Back then I barely saw any girl around the academy. It was an all-male academy back then after all. And I was going to sacrifice my life in the journey of regeneration anyway. So I told myself: 'Hey Zelos, you are a great catch for any girl! Too bad you have to start the journey of regeneration already, shame on you but hey! You can leave your mark in the world by getting a cute little wifey behind!' The girl was madly in love with me anyway, so I promised myself to her. At least I wouldn't die until she was on marriage age, so the only thought kept me alive. Only that when I noticed the journey of regeneration wasn't needed, well… I thought she would just forget it." Zelos finished the lie.

"I didn't…" Presea complained. "Such is the reason of my travel. I have come here for the sole purpose of making sure Zelos, as my groom, does not interact with any other woman but myself. And when my marriage age arrives, in three years, we are consummating our marriage. By law, Zelos Wielder belongs to Presea Combatir…" Presea finished.

"By law a contract can also be invalidated!" Princess Hilda mentioned while facing Presea directly, although the girl was paying more attention to cutting her meat in slices and eating. "It is illegal to force an underage to take part on a contract. This contract should be invalidated." Princess Hilda mentioned.

"By the time we signed the contract I was in the paternal custody of Regal Bryant. Our father had died, and the Lezareno Corp's president adopted my elder sister Alicia and me. The contract was signed as well by President Bryant who in the role of a father agreed to promise me, despite my young age, to Zelos Wilder. I was not forced in any way to this contract." Presea finished, and Princess Hilda bit her lips, Zelos was more than surprised. "If you wish to reach legal actions about my engagement right, I will be honored to contact the Lezareno Corp. But I must warn you that the Lezareno Corp got the best layers of the merged worlds."

"I am well aware of the power of the Lazareno Corp." Princess Hilda mentioned, walked toward her father, and took the contract in her hands. "And I also know all contracts have flaws: 'Both parts can, in mutual agreement, call off the marriage promise if in the presence of a legal authority figure to serve as avail for the nullification of this contract.' And guess what, I am a legal authority, and if I'm not qualified, my father certainly is. So all I need is for Zelos to call the marriage off, and I will nullify the contract. Right, honey?" Princess Hilda added.

"Regal is a genius… he even predicted this outcome…" Zelos whispered to himself, and then cleared his throat. "But of course, my princess! Your orders are my commands! Before your royal authority, I, Zelos Wielder, am calling this marriage off!" He smiled and then faced Presea, who somehow seemed to be smiling a little.

"Before your royal authority, I, Presea Combatir, am in disagreement with the nullification of the marriage contract." Presea added, and Hilda blinked twice. "You didn't finish reading: 'However, if one of the parts refuses to dissolve the marital compromise contract, the contract shall not be dissolved unless a third party takes into judgment the reasons for the dissolution. If the court agrees with the need of an invalidation, the contract will be considered nullified, and both parts will be officially released of any responsibilities involved in the mentioned contract.' End of quote." Presea finished, and Princess Hilda continued reading. "So now we have reached a disagreement. Yet, I deny going to a court to discuss the terms of the dissolution. I am in my right of calling Meltokio's court inappropriate for a fair judgment considering Meltokio's King is the father of the woman trying to steal my groom away from me. If we are to discuss the dissolution of this contract in a court, I declare my right of selecting a different location and chose Altamira." Presea finished.

"So you will have the advantage of the Lezareno Corp's layers?" Princess Hilda was growing inpatient. "Don't think I haven't noticed this game of yours. It is obvious you feel nothing for Zelos at all. This is nothing but a well-planned scheme. Let me guess, you are going to protect Zelos until reaching your marriage age, and when you do, you will both call the marriage off, thinking that by then I would have gotten married to someone else." And Zelos gulped hard when noticing Princess Hilda had discovered their plan. "I can wait for three years… I am young and beautiful… and I love Zelos more than anyone. He saved me when I was kidnaped, and he had always being nice to me. I'm sure he is only a victim of your greed and ambition, because you aren't pretty, and you want him all for yourself as vengeance for the unfortunate body that you were born with… your jealously and greed disgusts me!" Hilda cried, but this time Zelos wasn't going to take the princess' side.

"Ok, that was going too far!" Zelos stood up from his chair and everyone faced him with curiosity, even Presea, who couldn't understand his reaction. Zelos then took a deep breathe, and gathered the courage to say what he had to say. "Princess Hilda. I understand you are upset for the revelation of this contract. But that does not give you the right to insult one of my dearest friends who would even go farther than I ever imagined for my selfish welfare." Zelos added while facing Hilda directly. "True, she isn't a beauty. But she got her cute charms as well. Taking care of herself a little better would surely rise her feminine features and force some into dropping their jaws, I'm sure of it. I have known her for some time. I have seeing her wear a variety of clothes and Martel knows that with each costume she wore I exclaimed: 'Dear goddess she is so cute! I want to eat her!', regardless of how ridiculous I sounded." And Presea blinked twice at such words. "Presea is a cutey, and a personal favorite of mine. But even if she weren't, not even the princess got the right to insult her. After all, the real beauty lies in her heart… and her heart… is beautiful…" Zelos finished, and the whole room went into silence. "Anyway, the mood surely died down a little. Dear Hilda, you are free to wait if you want. But right now I have a responsibility to Presea, and I'm afraid I must convey. But anything could happen in the future." He blinked an eye, and Hilda just nodded in agreement. "My King." Zelos made a reverence toward the king, who delivered the reverence back. Zelos then offered his hand to Presea, who doubted for a moment about taking it. But after everything that had just happened, not taking it would be a mistake, so she accepted the offering, and allowed Zelos to walk her out of the palace, and toward the Upper District in search for Zelos' mansion.

"Zelos…" Presea began, and Zelos didn't even face her. He was sort of annoyed. "What… what was that you mentioned at the castle… I… I don't understand… it was… very unnatural of you…" She finished, and Zelos finally faced her.

"What? You are a cutey!" Zelos mentioned. "Remember that day at the beach when you wore that blue swimsuit and tied your hair in a couple of pink cutey balls? I wanted to hug you so hard!" Zelos admitted, and Presea blushed, and faced away. "Ah…! That day Sheena was wearing such a pervy swimsuit as well. She looked so hot. And Colette too! And Raine… I never thought I would like a mature woman in a swimsuit… eh?" Zelos flinched when noticing what he was saying, and backed off when remembering Presea walking by his side. "But you were certainly cutter than all of them together!" He added in fear.

"It was a children swimsuit for a children-like body…" Presea added. "There was nothing special in my clothing. Cuteness… is just another way of calling me a kid… I feel honored for the mention, but that's not the way I want to be seen. I'm tired of being treated as a child. I want to be treated as an adult. I'm older than you." She finished.

"And smarter." Zelos pointed out. "But you are cute anyway. What's wrong with being cute?" Zelos interrupted the march, and stood in front of Presea. "You keep on saying that time was stolen away from you. But don't you think it was perhaps a blessing? Looking like that, and thinking like an adult. Presea, what happened to you isn't a curse. Far from it. It is a blessing. Many 35 years old would kill to look like you, and you are still developing!" And Presea blinked twice at that last.

"I never… thought about it that way…" She mentioned. "It's not enough for me to feel glad for the kind of person I am… I still feel smarter than others my age. And I believe my hormonal displeasures are nothing but a bother… the point you have suggested seems to have lifted a weight from the sadness of my situation… but I still want to be treated like an adult. I don't know how to have fun… that knowledge was stripped from me… and the pain of not enjoying my sister's childhood, and losing my father… it's not something I can forget… I can't be happy… I don't have enough good memories to replace the sadness…" Presea cried, and was about to clean her tears, when Zelos cleaned them first.

"You look so cute even when crying. But you are more beautiful with your eyes full of surprise!" Zelos smiled, and Presea's eyes widened at such words. "Those are they eyes I meant! That's such a beautiful gaze! The view of a confused Presea is overwhelming!" And Presea opened her mouth as if wanting to say something, but her lips trembled, and a blush covered her face. "Uwoh! That was the cutest Presea ever! What caused such reaction?" Zelos wondered.

"Let me go!" Presea slapped his hand away, turned around, and placed a hand at her chest. "I'm sorry… it's just… I was surprised…" She mentioned, and Zelos blinked twice. "I'm not cute… please stop saying that. All of Meltokio laughed at me when I arrived."

"True, because you looked like a dirty dwarf!" Zelos mentioned, and Presea slammed her ax hard at the floor, and faced Zelos with annoyance. "Because of the dirt! You want me to show you how beautiful you truly are? Then leave it all to me! When I'm done with you I'm sure you will even surpass Princess Hilda's beauty! Come here! I'm determined to prove you wrong!" He took her hand, and pulled her with him all around the Upper District until arriving to his mansion.

"Master Zelos!" Sebastian, Zelos' butler, greeted him once he arrived. "Some of your admirers came earlier demanding answers to questions I couldn't understand correctly. Something about being engaged to…" And Sebastian finally noticed Presea. "I understand now. My lady Wilder, I am your humble servant.

"La-la-lady Wilder?" Presea blushed, and Zelos just laughed out loud, but Presea couldn't concentrate anymore. Her mature mind was complaining over and over, but her teenager's body was winning the battle forcing her heart to skip every beat at every word Zelos said.

"Lady Wilder got a fine ring to it, but no, she isn't my wife yet! Don't worry, Sebastian!" Zelos added with enthusiasm, and pulled Presea to the second floor, and into the bathroom. "Now, go inside, the hot water is the one of the right. Use the red shampoo, clean your hair until there is no dirt and then rub your hair with the shampoo and let it do it's magic for let's say ten minutes. Careful, if it falls in your eyes it will hurt. As for soap, use the white one, it will do wonders with your skin. And don't forget the conditioner, it's the one in the pink bottle. Use it after the shampoo. You can use my towel, it's the pink one… don't ask, I like pink, ok? Sebastian! I'm going to need a new towel, get the orange one out of the storage room! After you are done, go to Seles' room. I will have a nightgown ready for you. You and Seles got similar measures. Any questions?" And Presea opened her lips, but before she could say anything, Zelos interrupted her. "Good! Take your time, I will ask Sebastian to get you a room ready. Sebastian! Clean Seles' room and take her belongings to the basement. Presea is going to keep her room!" And Zelos closed the door, and left a worried Presea inside.

"What is… going on…?" Presea wondered, and placed her hand at her chest. "My chest feels warm… but is it my teenager's body reacting to the enthusiasm of the situation… or is it something else…?" Presea wondered, and began taking her clothes off in favor of entering the shower. The water would at least wash some of her worries away.

Presea took some time into cleaning herself. After the long trip from Ozette to Meltokio by foot, she hadn't been able to shower in almost a month. Traveling in a large group saved some time, but on her own, she needed to be very careful, her little adventure reflected to be quite a challenge.

When Presea made it outside of the bathroom, she was only wearing a towel and had her hair messing with her view. Zelos was, as he said he would be, waiting for Presea by Sele's room, throwing clothes from a side of the room to the other one and burying Sebastian under a pile of selected clothing.

"Umm… this one would look good too, but I'm not sure Presea likes skirts at all." Zelos continued while examining a red dress, and then he moved his shoulders up and down in carefreeness, and placed the dress back inside the wardrobe. "Wait a minute… why is my little sister wearing something this flashy?" He complained, but before taking the piece of clothing out, Zelos noticed Presea by the door, and in her towel, and closed the wardrobe. "That's enough Sebastian, take those clothes to the basement." He ordered, and Sebastian made his way out with the mountain of clothing. "Oh, and wash Presea's clothing! And… boil it… " And Sebastian nodded and left. "You know, it isn't usually advisable to stay in a towel in front of the Great Zelos." Zelos teased.

"I appreciate the warning. Please accept my own as a compensation." Presea added. "Plot something indecent against me, and I will break your arms to make sure you don't try it again." Presea finished, and Zelos just smiled at her.

"Oh, I'm not a man of plots anymore. They never did me any good." Zelos replied. "I'm more fond of my personal motto: 'whatever will be, will be', so if I ever do something, then I will deal with the consequences." He finished and smiled once again. Presea found it odd, she couldn't understand how there could be a man that smiled all the time. She was even sure she had never seen anyone smiling as much as Zelos did all the time. "Now, let's see what we have here." Zelos approached and tried to touch a bang of Presea's wet hair, but Presea backed off. "You wound me so deeply with your fear of me." Zelos added. "I told you I was going to show you how beautiful you were, didn't I? So I need to inspect your hair." Presea then nodded, and allowed Zelos to run his fingers through her heir. "Umm… very dry and brittle… it will take some time to fix this. You ever wash your hair with shampoos?" He asked.

"I wash my hair by the river. I never had the need of any cosmetic treatment. I do not see the need for using such irrelevant formulas." And Zelos crossed his arms in annoyance, grabbed Presea by the shoulders, and forced her to sit in front of a mirror. "This approach could be considered a violation to the terms on the contract."

"Yeah, yeah! Go ahead, sue me. But I'm fixing this hairy disaster." Zelos added, and took a brush. "Since it is evident that you had never brushed your hair before, this may hurt a little." Zelos explained, and began brushing Presea's hair. "Do you think I got this silky hairstyle only by my birth? Of course not! I take good care of my hair, and I'm going to take good care of yours. I will show all those faceless nobles how wrong they are by turning you into a real beauty." He added and continued brushing, forcing Presea to close her eyes in pain some times.

"Why are you… concerned over the way I look?" Presea wondered, and Zelos didn't reply. He was placing his whole attention in his blushing. "I don't believe in the superficial displays of shades and lipsticks. They just serve to place a mask of fake pride into the faces of people, mostly women, who are seeing as instruments for the male's diversion." She added.

"We aren't going to get along like this." Zelos grew worried. "Which reminds me, I haven't thanked you for taking all the trouble into helping me with this fake engagement. You really saved me back there, Rosebud. It was… a delight to know you accepted to aid me in my moment of need. Yet you do know what will happen if the stubborn princess refused to get married to someone else, do you?" He asked.

"If the situation somehow arrives, we will discuss the plan of action. Until then, I don't see a point on worrying about future events that are yet to be defined." Was her reply, and Zelos nodded in agreement. "I have no intention, however, of arriving to that stage." She finished.

"Then you don't know Princess Hilda as well as I know her… maybe my problem was knowing her to begin with…" Zelos grew worried. "There you go, silky and brushed." Presea then looked at herself by the mirror, her hair was down, and perfectly brushed down. She rubbed some and noticed the silky sensation. "You see it now? You aren't just cute, you are beautiful You only needed a little of maintenance, that's all. Now go and place a nightgown on." Zelos mentioned and left the room, and Presea blinked twice and noticed Zelos didn't even peak on her. "Inside the wardrobe! The lowest cabinet at the by the left got the underwear. The one of the right got the nightgowns." Presea then began getting dressed, she even took a pink colored nightgown and placed it on.

"You can come in now." Presea called, and Zelos came back to the room, and clapped a couple of times at the view. "It fits you perfectly. It's a combination of cuteness and beauty!" Zelos mentioned, although Presea felt a little uncomfortable. "I selected some clothing for you. I'm not sure about how long we will have to live together, but it will surely be some time. Feel free to use my sister's room as your own. And you can ask Sebastian for help about anything. Oh, and since we are bride and groom, I suppose you will need a key. Here!" Zelos then delivered the key of his house to her, and Presea faced it for a second, then at Zelos, and then placed the key by her dresser. "Are you… you know… comfortable with this…? Ya know since I'm asking too much and all that. You surely dislike all of this." Zelos mentioned.

"It's not a situation that brings displeasure upon me." Presea admitted, and Zelos faced her with curiosity. "It ratter attracts my curiosity. I have yet to experience how it is like to be part of a relationship. And I'm willing to learn all there is to learn." She confessed.

"Right…" Zelos mentioned. "By the way… at the king's table… you were about to…" And Presea delivered an emotionless stare at him, and Zelo's sweated hard. "You got a prettifying gaze, you knew that?" And Presea faced away a little incommoded. "We will have to continue with this charade until Princess Hilda marries someone else, so… let's try to get along."

"Agreed." Presea added, already covering with her blankets until reaching her hips. "Which reminds me… I won't tolerate the view of seeing you flirting to another woman. We must keep the credibility." Presea declared. Zelos was about to complain, but resisted the urge and nodded. He then turned the lights off, and left the room. "Saying that wasn't necessary…" Presea told to herself, a little concerned about her actions. "But the thought of Zelos looking at someone else… was annoying… I don't understand. I'm not supposed to feel this way for him. Then why am I feeling this anxiety? This sadness?" And Presea curled inside of her blankets, and faced he ceiling. "Could it be… that I began having feelings for him… this was certainly… not part of the plan." She finished, and tried to win some sleep.


End file.
